With the resurgence of physical fitness, persons of all ages, including the parents of infants and young children, have developed great interest in all forms of physical exercise, particularly in jogging, walking, or hiking. Today's active parents demand a child carrier that can be carried on the parent's back. However, earlier child carriers were not collapsible, and it was therefore awkward to transport them.
There is a need for a frame child carrier that can be stowed in a tote sack for ease of use and retail merchandising. Frequently, parents get tired of carrying their children in their arms, or the children get tired of walking, and it is inconvenient to wear a child carrier to prepare for such an eventuality. The unit should be compact enough to stow in a purse, diaper bag, or car and carried with other needed child-tending equipment. When unfolded for use, the unit must be sturdy and free from the possibility of inadvertent collapse, which could injure the child. The unit should also have the capability of being easily converted between a stand configuration in which it is self-supporting on a table and a carrier configuration in which the supporting legs are folded out of the way.